The recent decision by the Erie Western-Pennsylvania Port Authority to exclude teenagers from this summer's Eight Great Tuesday concerts, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian, doesn't sit well with me. The curfew in the city of Erie, which was established last month, seems more reasonable, because, in my experience, parents were permitting too many really young kids to roam the streets until all hours of the night.

Last summer, when I visited my nephew's house on Erie's east side, I was shocked to see so many five- and six-year-old kids still outdoors and raising a ruckous at midnight. A neighbor woman said it was nothing for the kids to still be out until 2 or 3 in the morning. It was a scene that was repeated throughout many of Erie's inner-city neighborhoods, which proves how lax too many parents had become.

The decision by the Port Authority, however, strikes me a bit differently. Yes, too many teenagers were gathering near the vending areas, and, occasionally, a fight would break out. But during the two concerts I attended last summer, it appeared to me that the security people were not fully engaged in their work. Instead of breaking up large groups of kids, they let too many teens congregate in the same spot. That apparently led to trouble, as you might expect it would.

I remember thinking that more security people were needed, and the ones who were there needed to be more vigilant.

Friends told me over the weekend that the scene at the Eight Great Tuesday concerts on the bayfront reminded them of high school football games at Erie Veterans Stadium. "A lot of the kids at those games just walk around and meet other kids the entire night -- they don't even watch the games!" my friend complained.

Well, so what? I think too many of us forget what it was like to be a teenager. As long as the kids behave themselves at these games, cause no damage and refrain from getting into fights, why can't they just roam around and meet other kids?

I kind of feel the same way about the concerts. If the kids were causing disturbances at Liberty Park on the bayfront, why didn't we deal with them on a case-by-case basis? Of course, it might be argued that the organizers tried to do that. But to banish all the kids, unless they're accompanied by a parent or guardian, seems harsh to me, especially since this is the first many of us are hearing about this situation.

More and more, Erie is beginning to feel like an unfriendly place for young people. I hate to say this, because I'm in my 50's myself, but I think too many of us are thinking "old." Yes, nobody wants noisy kids bothering them at a concert, but wouldn't it have been more prudent to warn the teenagers first? Instead, the Port Authority dropped a bomb on them.

I'm sure that over the next few weeks this debate will be argued at length on the editorial pages and in the letters to the editor columns of the Erie Times. But before we adults turn a deaf ear to the teens, I think we ought to hear them out. It might sound trite, but these kids represent our future, after all.

The Eight Great Tuesday concerts have been a huge success, and the Port Authority deserves much credit for maming them happen. But this time, I think the board acted rashly. Cooler heads might have made this a win-win for everyone.

-- Kevin Cuneo

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